Railway-tank feeder



Patented Sept. I3, |898. J. W. SKILTON.

RAILWAY TANK-FEEDER.

(Application med ont. 27, 1897.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

(N0 Model.)

ms persas co. PHMQLITNQ, WASHINGTON. o c.

No. 6|O,772.

Patented Sept. I3. i898.

J. W. SKILTUN.

RAILWAY TANK FEEDER.

(Appucaiion fixed oct. 2v, 1897.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

JOHN lV. SKILTON, OF DAYTONA, FLORIDA, ASSIGNOR OF 'IlO-THIRDS TO EGBERT B. BROWN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAILWAY-TANK FEEDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of A:Letters Patent No. 610,772, dated September 13, 1898. Application tiled October 27, 1897. Serial No. 656,572. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: i

Be it known that I, JOHN W. SKILTON, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Daytona, in the county of Volusia, State of Florida, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Tank Feeders, of which the following is a speciiication, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an improvement in railway-tank feeders, and has for its object to particularly improve the means for elevating the water from the source of supply to the storage-tank and, further, toimprove the details of construction of the elevating and operating means, so as to facilitate the operation of the same and elevate the maxim um amount of water with a minimum expenditure of power.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear in the following descrip tion,and thenovel features will be particularly pointed out inthe appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure l represents a side elevation of the invention. Fig. 2 is a crosssection upon the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section of the pipe for elevating the water and the valves therein, and Fig. 4 is a detail elevation of the tripping device located upon the moving device.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The letter A designates a storage-tank of any desired constructionV and capacity, the same being supported upon a framework A of ordinary construction and suitably elevated by means of the vertical standards A2.

For the purpose of supporting and receiving the weight and strainincident to elevating the water I provide a supplemental frame B,

which consists of the oppositely-located vertical standard Bf at the rearA of the tankand the standard B2 at the front of the tank, these two standards being connected together by the horizontal beams B3, extending from their upper ends and forming an independent sup-` port for part of the apparatus.

The tank just describedand' the supple-A upward from this water-supply to the upper portion of the tank a pipe O is located, which communicates at its lower end with a pipe C', extending into the well orsource of water- 5 5 supply, and at its upper end is provided with a conveying-mouth C2 for delivering the waterinto the tank. At the lower portion of the pipe C, I locate a cross-plate O3,which ispro- Vvided with upwardly-opening valves C4,adapt 6o ed to allow the passage of water upward from the pipe O and tof prevent the return of the water to said pipe. The upper portion ofthe pipe O is provided with one or more ventpipes O5, which are for an object to be here- 6 5 inafter set forth.

Traveling within the pipe C is a valved piston D, provided with upwardly-opening valves D and suitable means D2 for the at tachment of the cable E for the purpose of 7o elevating the piston. The upper surface of the piston is provided with a grooved way d, within which lies an annular packing-ring d', held in position and compressed to the desired degree by means of an annular plate d2, which plate is adjusted by means of suitable screws or bolts d3, passing through the same and into the body of the piston. Projecting downward from the piston there extends a sleeve d4, which fits within the pipe C `and 8o serves to prevent binding of the piston D.

The cable E from the valve extends overa sheave or pulley F, suitably journaled upon the beams B3, and thence downward to the winding-drum F', located upon a shaft F2, 85 which shaft is suitably j ournaled on the standards B at the rear of the tank. Located upon this shaft F2 is a winding-wheel G, of greater diameter than the drum F and adapted by its connection with the shaft Fzto rotate in 9o unison with the winding-drum. Extending from this winding-wheel is a cable E', which passes at the front of the tank between suitable guiding-pulleys H, mounted upon journals H', extending upward from a cross-beam 9 5 H2, located near the foundation of the tank.

`The cable E may be carried in either idirection from the pulleys Hand is provided4 with `a hook E2, adapted to be connected toa mov- Eing motive power--as,' for instance,ja locomoroo tive or car traveling upon a track extending adjacent to the tank.

It will be observed that when the piston has been raised in the pipe C the cable E will be unwound from the wheel G, and for the purpose of rewinding this cable upon the wheel, and thus retracting the same to its initial position and also assisting the return of the piston, a retracting-weight I is provided, which is connected by means of a cable I with a spiral drum or disk I2, and the cable is so wound upon the disk that the movement of the winding-drum to elevate ythe piston will at the same time elevate the weight, which latter will in its return movement unwind the cable E from the drum F and rewind the cable E upon the wheel G, thus returning all of the operative parts in their initial position by the time the piston has returned to its lowermost position.

For the purpose of releasing the cable E' from the locomotive-tender or other moving part to which it may be attached for applying motive power I provide an outwardly-bent pivoted hook J, mounted upon a plate J', located on any suitable portion of a moving member. This hook is pivoted by means of a pivot-pin J2 and provided with an operating lever or arm J 3, which in its movement is adapted to engage a permanentlylocated striker or stop K, which latter throws the lever or arm upward in the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4, and thus releases the hook E2 and the cable E. It will be ob- .served that it is essential to the successful operation of this releasing device that the strain upon the cables E and E incident to the raising or elevating of the body of water should be relieved prior to the release of the cable E from the motive power. This is effected by means of the vent-pipes O5, located at the upper portion of the pipe C, so as to admit air beneath the piston D when the same has reached substantially the upward limit of its movement. The admission of air at this time lbreaks the suction existing beneath the piston and in that manner relieves the piston of the body of water raised by it incident to the vacuum created by the movement of the piston between its lower surface and the surface of the water in the source of supply. The water above the piston has been partially discharged into the tank prior to the or source of supply into the lower portion of the pipe C and carrying the water above the piston upward and discharging it into the tank A. It will be seen that this construction of parts obviates the necessity of a very extended movement of the piston in order to trap above the same sufficient water to supply the tank, as if the piston itself descended into the vwell a very deep well would be required in order to trap the necessary amount of water, while by the construction shown a surface well of slight depth may be used, as the body of water to be carried upward by the piston is first raised by suction above the level of the ground, so that the upwardlyextending pipe G may be used as a stand-pipe to receive and contain the body of water to be raised in the next movement of the piston.

From the foregoing description of the operation of the several parts it is believed that the operation of the invention as a whole will be clearly understood. In brief the operation is as follows: The cable E having been attached to the outwardly-bent pivoted hook J, located on the tender of the locomotive, and the movement of the locomotive begun, the said cable will be unwound from the large winding-wheel G and the leverage secured from this wheel will be transmitted to the shaft F2, winding-drum F, and cable E to elevate the piston, which latter in its movement carries above it the body of water contained in the pipe C and by suction elevates a further body of water from the pipe C' into the space above the valved plate C3. The piston continues its upward movement until it reaches substantially the limit thereof and the water above the same is discharged, when by the actions of the vents C5 the weight of the water held by suction beneath the piston is released, and thus the jar or rebound incident to the releasing of the cable E from the motive power is obviated as the piston is released free of weight. The outer end of the cable E will be rewound upon the drum G by the action of the weight I, and at the same time the piston D will descend in the pipe C as the cable E is unwound from the drum F. The downward movement of this piston is permitted by the valves D', which allow the water beneath the piston to pass upward above the same, whereby when the piston has reached the lower end of the pipe C a body of water is trapped above the same ready to be raised in the next operation of the device. It should be stated that the stop K is located in such relation to the operating-cables and other parts that it will operate upon the lever J 8 immediately after the entrance of air beneath the piston through the vents, and the cable E', having been relieved of its strain, will be readily detached from the hook when the same is swung into its upward position.

It is obvious that numerous changes may be made in the details of construction of the several parts without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having described my invention and set forth its merits, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a pipe pro-vided IOO IIO

with a valve at its lower portion and having a valved piston therein, of means for elevating said piston, and means for admitting air beneath said piston when it approaches the discharge at substantially the upward limit of its movement; substantially as specified.

2. The combination with a pipe provided with a valve at its lower portion and having a valved piston therein, of means for elevating said piston, and an air-vent beneath the discharge at the upper end of said pipe; subl stantially as specified.

3. The combination with a pipe having a valved piston therein, of a valved plate located at the lower portion of said pipe, means for elevating said piston in said pipe, and an air-vent at the upper portion of said pipe beneath a discharge-opening; substantially as specified.

4. The combination with a pipe provided with a valve at its lower portion and having a valved piston therein, of a power-shaft, a winding-wheel thereon provided with a cable adapted to connect with a source of motive power, a winding-drum on said shaft provided with a cable connected to said valved piston, a retracting-weight connected to said shaft to return the parts to their initial position and a vent device at the upper portion of said pipe; substantially as specified. Y

5. The combination with a pipe provided with a valve at its lower portion and having a valved piston therein, of a power-shaft, a winding-Wheel thereon provided with a cable adapted to connect with a source of motive power, a winding-drum on said shaft provided with a cable connected to said valved piston, a vertically-pivoted hooked lever located on the source of motive power and connected to the cable leading from said windingdrum, means for oscillating said lever in a vertical plane when said piston has reached substantially the vertical limit of its movement, and a vent device adjacent to a discliarge-openin g for admitting air beneath said piston prior to the movement of said lever; substantially as specified.

6. The combination with a tank and its suppor ting-frame, of a pipe provided with avalve at its lower portion and located adjacent to said tank, a valved piston, a supplemental supporting-frame independent of the tankframe and provided at its upper portion with a sheave and at its lower portion with a powershaft, cables extending from said power-shaft to said valved piston and to a source of motive power and a retracting device connected to said shaft for returning said cables to their initial position; substantially as specified.

7. The combination with a pipe having at its lower portion a valved plate, of a valved piston operating within said pipe, means connecting said piston with a source of motive power, an air-vent at the upper portion of said pipe, and means to release the motive power for elevating said valved piston after the same has passed said air-vent; substantially as specied.

8. The combination with a tank, of a pipe located adjacent thereto and provided at its lower portion with a valved plate, air-vents at the upper portion of said pipe, a valved piston within said pipe, a power-shaft provided with a winding-drum, a cable extending from said winding-drum to said valved piston, a winding-wheel located on said powershaft, a cable extending from said windingwheel to a moving member, and a releasing device carried by said member and adapted to release said cable when the valved piston reaches substantially the upward limit of its movement, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN W. SKILTON. Witnesses:

J W. WILKINSON, L. MoRE'roN MURRAY. 

